1) “American Music Awards 50th Anniversary,” 8-10 p.m. , CBS. From its 1974 debut, this spent decades as a ratings powerhouse. Then it stumbled; there have been no awards since 2022, with none planned until May. First, here are interviews, old clips and new performances from Mariah Carey, Kane Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Green Day, Brad Paisley (shown here) and more. Read more…
1) “Tracker” season-opener, 8 p.m. Sunday, CBS. Three weeks later than usual, CBS launches its fall season. It starts with a ratings-leader, a solid show with Colter (Justin Hartley) tracking people. This opener spends a lot of time setting up an ongoing story and a re-mix of the office team (shown here, with Velma and Reena); then it solves its case-of-the-week quickly. It’s a fairly good start to what could be a terrific season. Read more…
The American Music Awards had a foolproof route to high ratings.
It honored popular people, many of whom performed on the show. Viewers saw Michael moonwalk, Prince rock, Mariah soar. It couldn’t fail.
And then it did. Ratings crashed; the AMA’s almost vanished. The next awards (in May of 2025) will be the first in 30 months.
Before that, a special – 8-10 p.m. ET Sunday (Oct. 6) on CBS – will be the first step in a comeback attempt. It will have lots of new performances (including Jennifer Hudson, shown here), plus clips that go back 50 years Read more…
1) Horror films. On the first weekend of October, cable is in Halloween mode. On the light side, Freeform has the clever “Beetlejuice” (1988, shown here) at 6:45 p.m. and the bland “Haunted Mansion” (2023) at 8:50. Heavier? AMC has “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” at 8 a.m. — then five films that followed it. The 1980 original is 8 p.m., with sequels at 10 and midnight. Read more…
1) “Mambo Legends, 10 p.m. , PBS. A propulsive sound emerged in 1940s and ’50s New York. It merged big-band horns with Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican rhythms, under the leadership of Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Machito. Now some of their musicians have revived the sound with the Mambo Legends band (shown here). This film has snatches of great music, plus a portrait of the era. Read more…
1) “Law & Order” season-opener, 8 p.m., NBC. Maura Tierney was at the heart of NBC’s must-see Thursdays, playing Abby for on “ER” for a decade. She dropped out of “Parenthood” in 2009 because of breast cancer, but her comeback includes “The Affair,” “American Rust” and this summer’s “Twisters.” Now, at 59, she’s the new homicide chief (shown here). Read more…
1) “Sullivan’s Crossing” season-opener, 8 p.m., CW. As the first season ended, Maggie returned to her life as a Boston surgeon. Then life crumbled at this little Canadian resort. A note from Cal (who’s shown here with Maggie) was intercepted before it got to her; her dad was hospitalized and forgot his foreclosure crisis. Now she rushes back, in an emotional hour. Read more…
Let’s thank some Aussies for filling our comedy void.
The second season of “Colin From Accounts” (shown here) has arrived in one bunch at Paramount+, with eight episodes. A couple of them are merely OK, but the rest are moving (occasionally) and funny (often).
Americans used to be known for comedy. We gave the world Lucy and Cosby and Bunker and Seinfeld, “Friends” and “Frasier” and the “Big Bang” gang.
But lately? The big-four networks combine for 81 primetime hours; but if you exclude cartoons, it goes like this: Read more…
1) Vice presidential debate, 9 p.m. ET, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and news channels. Onstage will be Tim Walz and JD Vance – both Midwesterners, both ex-military, yet opposite in almost every way. Margaret Brennan (shown here) and Norah O’Donnell will ask the questions and will be able to mute the microphones. Vance won the coin-flip and gives his conclusion last. Read more…
1) “Brilliant Minds,” 10 p.m., NBC. This second episode shows how good – and how demanding – this show can be. The first seemed heightened, trying hard to grab us. But it set the basics: Zachary Quinto as someone like Dr. Oliver Sacks, the brilliant and eccentric neurologist. Tonight’s episode throws a lot past us, but Quinto (shown here) helps make it feel human and tangible. Read more…
Best-bets for March 31: bees, Burns and “Doc” 
Best-bets for March 30: man of passion, songs of faith 
Best-bets for March 29: Basketball sparks a busy day 
